Samurai Shodown II - Neo Geo - Rating 8
First things first, I'd like to go on record as saying awesome fighting game!! SNK really knew what it was going for when it developed the sequel to the fan-favorite original SS. What we've got here is 202 MEGS of the fiercest weapons-based fighting action ever created, featuring rather large and well-animated characters each with distinct personalities on display, an impressive soundtrack, intuitive controls (albeit with some special moves harder to perform than in recent Street Fighter titles, but never as bad as Art of Fighting series, thank you very much ), four new characters (and one less with the absence of Tam Tam), and, simply put, the same non-stop enjoyment that us veteran arcade-goers came to know and love. I own the Japanese incarnation which is titled Samurai Spirits but is exactly the same game and even includes the option to turn on English subtitles at will - although it is somewhat 'broken English' but understandable nevertheless... most of the time.
SNK decided not to change too much from the original and made a sequel which one who hasn't been fortunate to play it could liken to the difference between Street Fighter II and Super Street Fighter II, only without any bad voice acting (Sonic-boom!) nor slowed down gameplay. Everything that worked in the original (basically everything) is present. You select from 15 fighters, ranging from old favorites Haohmaru, Galford, and Nakoruru, to the four newcomers: Nicotine Caffeine, Cham Cham (Tam Tam's sister), Sieger Neinhart (easily my favorite new character), and Kibagami Genjuro who is introduced here as Haohmaru's rival. Unlike most other fighting games, SSII has literally no bad character designs. Every character fits into the game perfectly and there will be some characters that fit into your specific fighting game style. Earthquake is huge (half the entire screen when zoomed in!), is suprisingly agile, and has long - and powerful - reach. He can even grab you and fart on you, and it causes damage!! Now what other game lets you do that? Wan-Fu is a burly Chinese guy with a bald head and SNK changed his weapon from a saber in part one to a stone pillar; an unusual choice to be sure, but a good choice. He begins fights sometimes by cracking his head into his pillar several times, immediately making him bad-ass. But nobody is as bad-ass in the game as Mizuki Rashoushin, the new final boss who I cannot tell the gender of. Mizuki is one tough SOB with a special move called the Black Sphere of Death which can smack you all over the screen, taking nearly all your life and destroying your weapon in the process! That's not only bad-ass, that's a bit on the cheap side as well. But if you can work your way around his/her offenses somehow you should be able to beat Mizuki to a pulp. The most formidable opponent in the game is NOT Mizuki, but rather Kuroko the referee in the game! I've managed to fight him twice... and got my ass handed to me both times. His background is sweet too - on display are huge sketchings of Leonardo Da Vinci anatomical studies, and it's all very detailed, leeading me to believe it was digitized in. Speaking of backgrounds, they're all drawn with incredible detail and, although all the backgrounds from the original return except for Tam Tam's, they're changed up a bit. For example, Haohmaru's stage on the Gariyu Isle is now set in the evening rather than the afternoon. Also, the new backgrounds are just as impressive. Check Cham Cham's background: it's a marsh called GreenHell Island and it's replete with tons of wildlife and greenery. Her stage opens with flamengos flying off before the characters make their opening motions right before the match begins. Details like these are nowhere to be seen in recent fighting games and that's a shame indeed.
The controls are excellent as expected. You perform weak and strong slashes (weapon attacks) with A & B buttons, and for a very strong slash you press them both together. As well, weak, strong, and super-strong kicks are accomplished with C, D, and C+D button presses, respectively. All 3 slashes and kicks can be accomplished from standing, ducking, and jumping positions. You can dash, dash-attack, roll, lay down, hop, and taunt as well. Every character has special moves which, mostly, are performed like the special moves in Street Fighter (down, down-forward, forward + slash, for example) and a fierce super-special move which can be performed either when your POW meter is full or when your health meter is drained to a bare minimum. Every character also has a move called doll transformation which allows them to change into miniature versions of themselves, but SNK only added this for novelty purposes. Still, it's a cool addition that doesn't harm the game in any way. The final thing I should mention is the fact that weapons can be tossed aside or - :gasp: - broken. If you're weapon gets tossed/destroyed your weapon attacks are replaced with weaker punching attacks until you pick up your weapon again. It's possible to kill your opponent by either cutting them in half (though it doesn't actually show any innards of the human body) or just cutting them open, resulting in the Kurosawa Akira-inspired blood spraying as seen in many Japanese samurai films like in the great movie Seven Samurai or Lone Wolf & Cub series.
The music features for the most part very traditional Japanese music which, I'm guessing, is of the classical Kabuki-style (or is that Gagaku; I'm uncertain). You've heard this kind of music at some point in your life; it's mostly atmospheric, but it is an art nevertheless and one which the Japanese have inherited into their culture, and is more than likely due to the influences of traditional Chinese music. Some stages, such as Earthquake and Galford, are rock-inspired and sound great. The sound effects are well done and convincing enough to convey what is happening (usually somebody getting slashed or blocked). As well, the voices and yells are all great too. (By the way, this is often a very quiet game, and this adds to the drama tremendously.)
If you are going to buy a Neo Geo at some point than make it a point to add Samurai Shodown II to your collection. It doesn't matter if it's the Japanese version as the system will play both US and Japanese titles. It's an enjoyable fighter and was an important element in the fighting game scene at the time it was released in 1994 as it forced Capcom and others to stay competitive, but it shouldn't be taken as just a side-dish to Street Fighter II. As a matter of fact, playing SSII now and putting it side-by-side with SFII, I'd say that in many ways SSII is a superior fighting game. Which is better? It doesn't really matter; they're both timeless classics that shouldn't be forgotten.

Ys Book I & II - TurboDuo (CD) - Rating 9
Ys..... It's so depressing to play this game again because, for me, it brings be back to another time that I wish I could experience again. Ys is more than just a game that sits in my collection. It's a relic from a time that encompassed an approach to gaming that was basic and beautiful. It truly was the premiere showcase title for the TurboGrafx16 CD system, and is, in actuality, an improved port of the original two Books of Ys which were released originally on PC in Japan. I have an old video from Japan which shows the developers working on the title and showing the game off. They also show some amazing artwork (when doesn't Falcom produce great artwork?) and some other cool stuff. On the PC, Adol, the main character, moves like lightning and that made it look a bit confusing to me. I couldn't understand how the player was hurting enemies (I was very young at the time I originally viewed this video) but I later found out by playing it firsthand that you attack enemies by running into them from the sides or a parallel angle (until in Book II when you can also use magic). Eventually, Adol becomes much more powerful than the enemy and can defeat them by running into them head-on. The first screenshots I had seen of the game running on TG16CD were, I believe, in Video Games and Computer Entertainment magazine. Those screenshots were clearly focused on showing off the prowess of the CD system, but unfortunately for those of us with a limited budget, the system itself retailed for $400!! $200 for a TG16 + $400 for the CD add-on.... that was a hard blow. My brother already owned the TG16 from the Christmas when it originally came out (and I had the Sega Genesis). So we came up with a 'plan' to both combine our Christmas gift the following year to being the TG16CD system + one or two games for the both of us to share. One of those games would be Ys Book I & II. However, after a short while he backed out of the deal and we both settled on just getting games we wanted for the systems we owned.
It wouldn't be until several years later when I myself decided to purchase a TurboDuo that I'd first get the chance to play Ys Book I & II. I also had gotten about 10 other games for the system, both HuCard and CD, including Fighting Street (UGH! ), Forgotten Worlds (greatness achieved), and Monster World (a funky title that resembles Adventure Island + a shooting game but is too hard for its own good). Ys Book I and II admittedly underwhelmed me a little at first due to the weak opening but soon grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I've never played another game like this before, although Hydlide (NES) resembles it in a couple ways, but I wouldn't call them similar games. For example, Hydlide pretty much plays like sh*t on a stick, but Ys Book I & II plays like Zelda on speed. Adol runs around the screen faster than OJ does from the LA Police - probably a little too quickly, and so it's a good thing you have the option at any time to choose from slow or fast game speeds. Good thinking Falcom. :cool guy: Or I should say Hudson Soft as they're the ones responsible for this port. (I don't know if that option is present in the original PC version so I won't be making comparisons except graphically). You can either save the game into the system itself (if you're playing with the Turbo-Booster or on a TurboDuo) or you'll have to tolerate writing down one of the biggest passwords you'll find anywhere. Take your pick.
For a time peace reigned over the land of Ys and two beautiful goddesses kept her in their watch. She was a land of peace and magic, magic which found its source from the Black Pearl. But eventually the six priests that also ruled the land created a metal from the Black Pearl which they called "Cleria" and they used this metal to bring wealth to the land. However, with the wealth also came the arrival of a great evil. So they decided to bury the Cleria, and, fearing the worst, wrote down the history of Ys which they entombed in six books to be passed down to their descendants. Eventually, the evil and despair returned to the land, and the Cleria was unearthed, felling Ys back into a long forgotten darkness. In order for peace to be restored the six books would have to be located and returned to the statues of the six priests. Of concern is the fact that one of the books is being held by Dark Fact, a demon boss who resides in Darm Tower. The land of Ys vanishes....
Adol Christian sets course over the sea to the land of Esteria to find the lost books of Ys, as well as uncover the lost land of Ys, and in order to do so must inevitably face Dark Fact who has no intentions of relinquishing his firm grasp on one of the books....
That's the background story for the beginning of Ys Book I. Book II follows once you've completed the first Book and is at least twice the size. Ys Book I should take you about 5 or so hours, so altogether there's about 15 hours of gameplay for the first play-through. I have an old TurboGrafx-16 magazine that maps out the first dungeon and says that once you've completed it and gotten ahold of the first book that you've completed one-sixth of Book I. This unfortunately is very misleading. I hate to spoil the party but there's only three dungeons total in Book I (though Darm Tower is extremely large). Thankfully, Book II features many more dungeons and is by far the more challenging of the two. Both are very enjoyable, to say the least. And both Dark Fact and ????? are two of the coolest villains ever created, at least visually.
The game plays rather unorthodox in that you have to run into enemies in a specific way in order to harm them, as I described above. You start in town and must first obtain the proper equipment before heading out. Adol can equip swords, shields, and armor, as well as rings which possess magical powers such as the Power Ring, Armor Ring, and Healing Ring. He also finds artifacts and other useful items on a rather rapid frequency. You'll run into a strange hooded girl named Lair in Esteria whose harmonica has been stolen. You'll eventually retrieve it and give it back to her, as an example. You can sell certain things for gold, or kill enemies for more gold which you can use to purchase better equipment and other items. Like any good RPG, Adol gains experience by killing foes and this is the best thing about the game. Almost everything happens quickly, so there's no waiting two hours to level-up enough to beat this or that boss. Adol can regain his health by standing still on the open map (or by standing outside on one of the balconies in Darm Tower), or Adol can heal by equipping the Healing Ring. The dungeons in both Book I & II are ominous and are jam-packed with items and enemies to dispose of. Although you won't find puzzles as often as in a Zelda title, it more than compensates for this because the game isn't supposed to be Zelda and has a certain character to it that I have never seen replicated in another game in all my years as a gamer. There is a variety of bosses to be found in Book I, each usually guarding a book of Ys. Is this game (Book I & II combined) better than Zelda? It is in many ways a better game overall, but I don't think that it's quite on the level gameplay-wise as Link's Awakening or A Link to the Past. That is, aside from the soundtrack which I'm going to delve into soon.
Visually, Ys isn't anything too impressive. The characters are small, and the actual screen is cut a little bit so that the gameplay takes up about 3/4ths of the screen. Look at it here, along with the box art ~ http://www.workingdesigns.com/museum..._book_i&ii.htm Here's some more ~ http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/in...1211/id263.htm As you can see, the game does sport some intricate detail despite the characters being kinda small. Believe me, this doesn't hinder the game at all. I especially like the design on everything. Too bad the animation isn't all that special, but just don't forget that the TG16 is an 8-bit system at heart with a 16-bit graphics processor that smokes the Genesis, though doesn't smoke it as far as the size of sprites and parallax scrolls goes (though it could - see Street Fighter II ~ CE and tell me I'm wrong). It looks a bit better than the PC versions, so you're definitely getting the right version.
To say that Ys sports one of gaming's finest soundtracks is an understatement. This is the way action/RPGing is supposed to sound, clearly sporting some of the finest pieces ever heard on any system courtesy of Yuzo Koshiro. This helps liven up the world of Ys, to say the very least. Even the arrangements are unique in their own way and everything is wonderfully synthesized to utter perfection. Ask anybody that has played this game and they'll tell you. The voice acting is kinda weak as far as the acting is concerned but you come to accept it for what it is. This is, after all, one of the very first CD games ever made. Falcom/Hudson Soft know how to get the job done. When has Falcom done a BAD SOUNDTRACK?? The sound effects, on the other hand, are rather weak. It doesn't really matter to me.
If you consider yourself an action/RPG fan, by all means, get this game. You owe it to yourself to play this epic. You can find both Ys titles remade on Sega Saturn (import) on the discs of Falcom Classics of which there are several. I also recommend you buy the soundtracks to various Falcom titles which you can do here ~ http://www.gamemusic.com/ Falcom = one of the best game companies of all time.

It is important to note that the music was composed by Yuzo Koshiro (Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage, ActRaiser, etc) for both books 1 and 2. Also, Michael Bell, who does the voice of Dark Fact in the game (and perhaps others?) does lots of comercial voiceovers now and also starred as Prowl in the Transformers cartoon and did some GI Joe voices as well (Duke, I think).

The Legend of Zelda ~ Ocarina of Time - N64 - Rating 10
That's right. Zelda ~ OoT is the single greatest achievement in the world of 3D games, and definitely one of the three best Zelda titles that Nintendo has ever produced. I preordered my gold copy along with the gold Nintendo Power Strategy Guide which came in a gold bag. Indeed, this game is nothing but solid gold. It was probably the last truly exceptional game that I experienced, and this is back in 1998 no less. It's hard to believe that over 5 years have already passed by.....
What game magazine didn't give Zelda ~ OoT game of the year? I don't know of any, and if one or two did then it just comes to show you how incompetent some people are capable of being. It happens. No matter - OoT remains a tremendously enjoyable action/adventure experience that nobody should be without. Nintendo got everything right. The unique feel of controlling Link in 3D for the first time was a revelation to this gamer, and he has at his capacity the ability a little later into the game of riding Malon's horse Epona which was just one of many exhilarating moments to be found within. Hell, playing the ocarina is more fun than playing most games these days... The controls, graphics, music, sound, challenge, secrets, length, and story are all perfectly accomplished. I just cannot praise Nintendo enough for this feat; somehow I feel like I don't deserve what I've been given. Utilizing OoT as a measuring tool to compare the quality of WW to is rather unprecise because that Zelda title has a rather different feel to it, and so it is like comparing Zelda I to II. You CAN do it, but I just don't feel the need.
Where do I begin? How about the background story: The world of Hyrule was brought into being by three goddesses: Din - the goddess of power, Naryu - the goddess of wisdom, and Farore - the goddess of courage created the Triforce as the holy bond between them and the world they created. As long as the Triforce stood peace would reign. Within Hyrule's vast presence stood Kokiri Forest which was home to the so-called Children of the Forest, and each Kokiri had a guardian fairy, except one called Link who is troubled by nightmares of a helpless girl being taken away from a castle by a sinister person who rides atop his dark steed and carries with him a menacing smile which pervades a sense of malicious intent... When Link awakens he will begin his quest to salvage the land from the evil that is attempting to befall all of Hyrule.
Link begins as a young child for the early stages of the game and later becomes grown up. You'll have the ability to switch between the younger and older Link, and for each lies a different Hyrule, much like how the Dark and Light Worlds of Zelda ~ A Link to the Past worked. Time is clearly the focal issue at the heart of the game. There are over ten dungeons to be conquered, each with its own unqiue boss. Link will visit many places including Hyrule Castle, Lon Lon Ranch, Goron City, Kakariko Village, etc. Each location is jam-packed with secrets and puzzles to quench the venturesome thrist of every gamer under the sun. The overworld is just gorgeous and is probably my favorite overworld out of every game ever made. Time moves while you're transversing the fields, and once you obtain the services of Epona you can freely call her to your side by playing her song on the ocarina (the game keeps track of every important melody you learn so that you can view them whenever necessary). When night falls the things that go bump in the night come out to play with Link, and when you enter towns and such at later hours it clearly refects this as people seek the comfort of their respected homes and leave Link to his activities in solitude. The feeling this conveys to you as a gamer is that you're truly an explorer in a huge world that is never at ease. There's always something waiting to be touched, looked at, explored, or found. I love every second of it. :bigsmile:
The graphics are quite beautiful and are probably the best ever done on the N64. However, some of the animation is a bit jerky. Some things do have a certain vivacity to them, such as the way Link animates while in combat, and it's truly amazing how much information Nintendo managed to squeeze into 256 MEGS which is pretty small in comparison to even a regular CD (over 4,000 MEGS). However, if you've ever bothered to check you'd see that most games, especially those without 20 CG cinemas, only use about 10-20 minutes of the storgae information of a CD (roughly 15-30%) and the rest usually goes to CD music tracks. I'm still impressed by many of the things in this game visually and believe it to be the most authentic world ever created for a 3D game next to Shenmue.
Link finds many of his mainstay items and equipment such as the bow & arrows, boomerang, and assortment of keys, but there are many new items as well such as a wide assortment of masks, the lens of truth, and hover boots. Everything can be equipped to the left, bottom, and right c-buttons. This works really great as Link can perform most normal actions with the analog stick and the A & B buttons. The upper c-button is used for the camera, R button is for using shields, L button is to pull up the map (as well as it being located with the inventory screens when you press start), and the Z button is for several uses like focusing the camera behind Link and Z-targeting enemies - the first game ever to do this. The overall challenge presented is one worthy of heavy scrutiny and there will be times when you get stuck or killed. Overall, the game should take most gamers 15-20+ hours to complete.
This is possibly Koji Kondo's best work for a soundtrack as this game delivers some of the best music ever done by Nintendo at any point in their long and lucrative history. You'll encounter some familiar tunes and hear a plethora of new compositions that lend themselves perfectly to every nook and cranny of the game. Some of my favorites include the music for Zora's Domain, the music in the windmill being played by the organ-grinder, the Ice Temple, and the ending music. Of special notice are the themes Link will learn to play on the ocarina, especially those which he'll use to teleport to different areas. My favorites are Prelude of Light, Requiem of Spirit, and Nocturne of Shadow. The sound effects are great, and I don't mind hearing Link scream as he does battle with the various enemies.
Overall, this is the best game for the N64, easily surpassing Majoro's Mask which was also pretty good but not quite what I was looking for. It's not a bad Zelda game, but coming out hot on the heels of OoT gave it a little too much to live up to. No matter. At least Nintendo bothered to produce two Zeldas for the N64 rather than one. Should you ever find yourself ailing for some of that classic Nintendo magic, you know where to find it. As far as 3D games are concerned, Zelda ~ OoT is the game to beat.

Best Graphics: Zelda ~ Wind Waker
---What else needs to be said? Think what you will, but Zelda WW has a phenomenal world and a hauntingly beautiful ocean (especially at night). Great stuff.

Best Soundtrack: Castlevania ~ Aria of Sorrow (GBA)
Although no match for other CV titles such as IV or SoTN, Aria proves that size doesn't matter when it comes to quality production values. The soundtrack is better than anything else released in 2003, beating out even all those CD/DVD-based titles.

Best Storyline: Don't know. Perhaps Max Payne 2 ~ The Fall of Max Payne (X-Box)
---It was a poor year for storylines in games. Nothing stood out. I'd probably pick Zelda WW because of personal bias (I adore Zelda) but I really have to hand it to Rockstar Games/Remedy Entertainment for their successful sequel to the original noir actioner. In fact, if not for the intriguing story (performed by very talented voice actors) I probably wouldn't have finished the game due to lack of interest (sorry guys, it's the truth).

Best Controls: Metroid Fusion (GBA)
---No question about it; Nintendo truly outdid themselves with this instant classic. So how does a 2D game compare control-wise with 3D titles that play at 60FPS? Simple - everything works perfectly. Like Castlevania ~ Aria of Sorrow (GBA), there is no flaw to Metroid Fusion's controls. The only thing that prevents AoS from having a tie with Fusion is the fact that Fusion's controls are seamless and the system behind the play mechanics never becomes a hassle.

Best Art Design: Tie - Castlevania ~ Lament of Innocence (PS2) / Castlevania ~ Aria of Sorrow (GBA)
---Truly fantastic artwork by Ayami Kojima. The use of textures in Lament is simply wonderful and the character design is of tremendous quality, yet again. Too bad Aria wasn't produced for GC instead because it would look incredible if Konami utilized the harware for 2D. Neither title matches the 2001 PC epic Magna Carta though. See it here ~ http://magnacarta.co.kr/ And here ~ http://www.rpgfan.com/previews/magna...gna_carta.html

Best GBA Game: Metroid Fusion
---GBA saw some great software in 2003, and 2004 promises even more goodies (my most wanted GBA game for 2004 - River City Ransom EX). Mario & Luigi is truly great, but Metroid Fusion was just too good.

Best PS2 Game: Virtua Fighter 4 ~ Evolution
---Oh sure, you're thinking "How come Icarus sucks so bad that he didn't give Jak & Daxter II PS2 Game of the Year?" How about because it BLOWS? VF4Evo was better than anything else released this year for PS2, though I did enjoy CV ~ LoI. PS2 had a horrible showing this year, especially considering the volume of software released. Sony had better up the ante next year because GC is going to look very attractive with titles like Resident Evil 4, a new Metroid, and possibly even a new Zelda. Namco wasn't even on the map this year, and they're supposed to be one of Sony's big supporters. Square just sucked all year, and I don't even want to think about the atrocity that was Xenosaga. ARRRRGH!!!

Best X-Box Game: Soul Calibur 2
---While not exactly the sequel I was hoping for, SC2 did prove that Namco had it in them to improve (albeit slightly) upon an already perfect game. The PS2 version suffered from having Heihachi in it, as well as lesser graphic quality and occasional SLOWDOWN, thereby making the GC/X-Box versions immediately better choices. And I don't care what people have to say about the GC/X-Box controllers not being as good as the Dual Shock PS2 controller -- nobody cares. I can use all three controllers perfectly well, so it's not even a factor as far as I'm concerned.

Best GC Game Zelda ~ Wind Waker
---Many people feel that WW isn't that good of a game for some strange reason. I beg to differ: WW offered me one of the best experiences this year and, thus, was a factor in saving this year from complete and utter mediocrity. Complain all you want - this game kicks ass. Nintendo had some hot releases this year, and next year is looking to be even better. And so it's a good thing that GC sales have picked up. Much luck from me to my favorite first party of all time.

And now....The 'Best Game of the Year Award' goes to....

Drumroll please.

~~~Zelda ~ Wind Waker
Viola! Yup, there it is. The best of the best. No other game gave me an experience that matched WW. So maybe it's not the greatest Zelda game ever. No. But that doesn't stop it from being the best experience this year. Congratulations Nintendo - YOU WIN!

That about wraps up this year in gaming. There are many things I wished for but didn't get... yet. For example, I want a port of the Falcom remake of Ys for PS2. If that came out here it might've been a contender. Too bad for us. We need better RPG output, and I hope 2004 heals that wound. Also, fighting games were sparse this year. What gives?? C'mon! How 'bout it!? Thankfully, 2004 is looking to smoke 2003. I'm looking forward to it....